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Written in 2008 as a response to Firefly Friday prompt #196, "mountains." Revised in December 2023.


Natural Beauty


Despite its chilly climate, there was a kind of beauty to the mountains of St. Alban's. Kaylee lingered and looked, waiting until the last minute before making her trip back to the engine room. It was certainly different from the dry, dusty plains of Zephyr.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" came Simon's voice from behind her.

She sighed. "Yeah. I don't mind living in the black, but sometimes you just wanna see a sky, y'know?"

He stepped up to stand beside her, although he kept his gaze focused forward. "I know. I miss going to the mountains on…" he trailed off. "I miss mountains."

"You have mountains in the Core?"

"Of course. Every planet has mountains, even if they're not all covered with snow. When we'd go to the White Chalet on Osiris, they'd make the snow if none had fallen naturally."

Startled, Kaylee glanced at him. "Why would anyone want to do that?"

"Skiing. Snowboarding. Some people just liked the experience of seeing something so beautiful."

"Beautiful," she repeated. "Y'know, I think there's something better about seeing it like this, all natural instead of made fake for rich folk to enjoy."

"Most of the Core is designed around maximum livability. It usually works, but the price is sometimes a loss of the original, natural beauty." Now Simon was the one who sighed. "I didn't go skiing much. It just felt off, somehow, to look out and see snow when it was twenty-two degrees, and you could be comfortable outside in short sleeves. Especially when it was combined with the best in modern conveniences and safety features."

"You didn't like all that?"

"Convenience can be nice," he admitted, "but there's something to be said for keeping things natural and original. Simplicity and lack of artifice have a special beauty all their own." He paused. "I find that…" he trailed off again, his eyes meeting hers. "…that I prefer that kind of beauty to the kind that's manufactured."

"Even if it's inconvenient."

His eyes remained on hers. "It's not…it's not the bottom of the barrel. Even if there's no alternative, you still have to like that kind of beauty if you're going to appreciate it."

She dropped her eyes, uncertain how to respond.

"Kaylee," he continued, but then he hesitated. "I…I'm sorry. That was a rotten thing to say, earlier."

A sudden gust of wind swirled up into the cargo bay, and both of them drew their coats closer to their bodies. She took the opportunity to look back at the mountains as they stood there in silence. His words seemed to echo in the still air.

She wasn't sure how long it was before the comm crackled to life, but both of them jumped when it did. "All right, people," boomed Mal's voice. "Time to close it up. Kaylee, I need you in the engine room."

"Be there in a jiffy, Cap," she called out as she turned toward the catwalk stairs. Simon moved over to the door controls, scanning the panel briefly before starting the close-and-seal sequence. It occurred to her that he hadn't had to be told to do that; he was getting used to the rhythm of life here on Serenity, and she paused on the catwalk. "Simon."

He looked up, meeting her eyes again.

"You ever noticed that mountains are prettier when you see 'em from a distance instead of close up?"

He nodded.

She nodded back. "I just wanted to make sure." Then she continued up the catwalk.